Utah Personal Injury Blog - Head & Brain Injuries

Brain Injury Conference to be Held in Salt Lake Tomorrow

Bret Hanna — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:34:58 GMT

The Brain Injury Association of Utah (BIAU) is holding its Families & Professionals Conference 2009 tomorrow at the Miller Campus of Salt Lake Community College. If interested, you can still register between 8:00 and 9:00 tomorrow morning.

The BIAU is the only non-profit in the state dedicated to providing education and services aimed at preventing and treating brain injuries. It offers a wealth of information concerning the nature and types of brain injuries, as well as fascinating facts:

Every 23 seconds, one person in the U.S. sustains a brain injury

Over the past 12 years, mortality from brain injury has exceeded the cumulative number of American battle deaths inclusive of all wars since the founding of the Republic.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a silent yet serious epidemic currently leaving 5.3 million Americans with disabilities. This represents over- 2% of the US population; 40,000 victims in Utah alone!

50% of brain injuries are caused by vehicle crashes, 26% by falls.

In September 2000 alone, 8600 children under the age of 15 suffered a brain injury from scooter accidents... almost 300 children per day!

Every 7 minutes, someone dies of a brain injury

One death every day and one brain injury every four minutes can be prevented by the use of helmets in recreational activities, including skiing and biking.

80 % of brain injury victims end up in a divorce

75% of persons with TBI who return to work will lose their job within 90 days if they do not have supports.

The estimated lifetime cost for each survivor of a severe brain injury exceeds $4 million.

According to a study conducted by The National Foundation for the Brain, the cost of brain injury in the United States was $48.3 billion in 1992. Hospitalization accounts for $31.7 billion, and fatal brain injuries cost the nation $16.6 billion each year. We estimate that this figure may be substantially higher today.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a silent yet serious epidemic currently leaving 5.3 million Americas with Disabilities. This represents over 2% of the US population; estimated 40,000 individuals in Utah alone suffer from a long-term disability from brain injury!

Each year, approximately 567,000 people go to the hospital emergency departments with bicycle related injuries; about 350,000 of those are children under 15 years of age. Of those children, about 130,000 sustain brain injuries.

1 million children sustain brain injuries every year ranging from mild to severe, with approximately one-third of all pediatric injury cases are related to brain injury. This public health concern ranks as the leading cause of death and disability in children and adolescents in the United States.

In Utah, during the school year 1997-98, there were 900 injuries that affected those from kindergarten through sixth grade. Of these injuries, 276 were possible concussions or loss of consciousness. This is disconcerting because these types of head injuries can cause long term problems.

It is estimated that one million people are treated for TBI and released from hospital emergency rooms every year.

Each year, 80,000 Americans experience the onset of long-term disability following TBI.

More than 50,000 people die every year as a result of TBI.

Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of brain injury. They account for 50% of all TBIs.

Falls are the second leading cause, and the leading cause of brain injury in the elderly.

The risk of TBI is highest among adolescents, young adults and those older than 75.

After one brain injury, the risk for a second injury is three times greater; after the second injury, the risk for a third injury is eight times greater.

And information on services and resources available for those impacted by brain injuries:

Community Services
Education -

Independent Living Center - The Utah Independent Living Center (UILC) is committed to provide services needed by people with disabilities to function more independently in their families and communities. Services available include both individual services and services rendered to make the community more accessible allowing for greater participation by people with disability.

Respite - A means for taking over the care of a person temporarily (for a few hours to a few days) to provide a period of relief for the primary caregiver.
Financial Services
Division of Services for People with Disabilities - We promote opportunities and provide support for persons with disabilities to lead self-determined lives. We oversee home and community-based services for more than 4,000 people who have disabilities. Support includes community living, day services, supported employment services, and support for people with disabilities and their families.

Medicaid - State and federal program of public assistance to persons of all ages whose income and resources are insufficient to pay for health care.

Medicare - Hospital and supplementary medical insurance for disabled or aged persons under the Social Security Act.

Social Security - Benefits for people with disabilities - The Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability programs are the largest of several Federal programs that provide assistance to people with disabilities. While these two programs are different in many ways, both are administered by the Social Security Administration and only individuals who have a disability and meet medical criteria may qualify for benefits under either program.

Social Security Disability Insurance pays benefits to you and certain members of your family if you are "insured," meaning that you worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes.

Supplemental Security Income pays benefits based on financial need.
Legal Services
CAP - The Client Assistance Program (CAP) at the Disability Law Center protects the legal rights of people who apply for or are already clients of the state’s Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) or Independent Living (IL) agencies.

Disability Law Center - Disability Law Center can help you get the help you need to protect your rights as a person with a brain injury. The Mission of the Disability Law Center is to enforce and strengthen laws that protect the rights of people with disabilities in Utah. We envision a just society where all people are treated with equity, dignity and respect.

Utah Legal Center - Utah Legal Services seeks to protect the rights of the disadvantaged and persons of limited means by legal representation, advocacy, and education throughout Utah. Utah Legal Services (ULS) is a nonprofit law office which provides legal help in non-criminal cases, free of charge, to those who qualify. ULS serves the entire state through a variety of locations and in 1990, Utah had more than 300,000 persons eligible for legal help from ULS.
Medical Services
Day Programs - Programs that address leisure/recreation, maximizing basic functional skills and daily living. Long-term placement during the day, whereby person returns to residence in the evening.

Outpatient Therapy - An intensive outpatient program, designed to maximize functional skills, address psychological and behavioral adjustment, and vocational rehab. Short-term, based on functional gains; focus on preparation for community and vocational re-entry. The person with a brain injury usually participates 2 to 4 types of therapy, 3 to 5 times per week.

Residential Facilities - A place where one resides, and may include community-based residential facilities, group homes, adult family homes, supported/supervised living.
Support Groups
A group established for families and/or persons with disabilities to discuss problems they may be having in coping with their life situation and to seek solutions to these problems.

Click here to view a list of support groups in Utah.
Recreation Services
Camp Kostopulos - The Kostopulos Dream Foundation is an agency dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities. For more than thirty years, we have offered recreational opportunities for individuals of all ages and abilities. Our goal is to make our services available to all people, regardless of ability level, income or place of residence.

National Ability Center - The National Ability Center’s innovative programs provide an environment where individuals are empowered to each their full potential. With the emphasis on safety, fun and education, the Ability Center encourages the participation of individuals of all ages and disabilities.

Splore - Since 1979, SPLORE, a Salt Lake City based non-profit organization, has been a leader in providing outdoor adventures for people with disabilities and special needs. To date, over 20,000 individuals have participated in a recreational activity with SPLORE.

Please support this valuable organization by attending its events, such as the conference tomorrow, or through direct support of its mission.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bret Hanna

Bike Helmets Are Not Optional

Bret Hanna — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:04:21 GMT

A 14-year-old boy suffered traumatic head injuries yesterday in Lindon, when he ran into a wall while riding his bike with his sister. He was not wearing a helmet. Juan De Dios Rojas was on a family outing in the Lindon City Park at the time of the accident. He was riding on the Lindon Heritage Trail when he hit the wall and when rescue crews arrived, he was unconscious and unresponsive. Rojas was ultimately transported to Primary Children's Medical Center where he is reported to be in critical condition.

While helmets can't prevent all head injuries that may result from bike accidents, they are critical in reducing the number and severity of such injuries. The general statistics are shocking but a 10-year observational study completed by the Utah Department of Health revealed that as of 2003, helmet use in Utah was below the national average. Many states have passed laws mandating helmet use but sadly, Utah is not one of them. But that should not deter every parent from requiring helmet use by their children and all parents should lead by example and wear them as well. In short, everyone should wear helmets every time they get on bike, even if you don't intend to leave your driveway.

Bike helmets are readily accessible but you may find the task of buying one daunting given the number of choices. Here is some information on how to choose a helmet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOgf4GYj1UM&NR=1&feature=fvwp

If money is a hurdle, there is a Salt Lake City based project listed on dosomething.org to help lower income families provide helmets for family members. Another place to check for assistance is the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective's free helmet distribution program. The bottom line is that you need to do whatever you have to to put helmets on every bike rider in the family - helmet use is not an option.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bret Hanna

Actress Natasha Richardson Dies From Brain Injury

Chrissie Cole — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:49:00 GMT

Natasha Richardson, an accomplished actress died after sustaining a fall at a ski resort.

Reportedly, the actress was talkative and refused medical treatment after the fall. She returned to her room to rest. Within an hour she complained of a severe headache and was taken to the hospital. Eventually, she was flown from Montreal to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City in critical condition.

She was reported to be brain dead and on a ventilator when she was detached from life support late Wednesday and died.

The fact that Richardson was not wearing a helmet may or may not have made a difference in the gravity of her injury say experts. In fact, traumatic brain injury is more common than most people think.

The official cause of death was bleeding in the skull brought on by the fall. Her sudden and tragic death was ruled accidental by the NYC medical examiner’s office.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Cell Phones, Like Alcohol, Cause Wrongful Death

Brad Parker — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 08:18:17 GMT

Every year, Utah citizens suffer the tragedy of alcohol related wrongful deaths caused by drunken drivers. Though it is clearly illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol, and although the dangers of drunk driving are widely known, an alarming number of individuals still drive while intoxicated and each year lives of Utah citizens are unnecessarily cut short because of drunken driving accidents. But driving while talking on a cell phone can be just as dangerous.

A recent article in the Salt Lake Tribune noted that cell phone related car accidents increased from 135 per year to 218 per year between 2003 and 2005. And those statistics are probably underrated. As the Salt Lake Tribune reports, "Unless a driver in a crash acknowledges using a cell phone or a witness can attest to it, it's hard to know if a cell phone contributed to the accident."
Additionally, as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, cell phone use is the most common distraction for drivers.
While talking on a cell phone while driving is not presently illegal in Utah, drivers who cause accidents because they are talking on a cell phone are fully liable under Utah law for any brain injury, serious injury or death caused by the accident. The personal injury lawsuits arising out of cell phone use on the highway are increasing. They are increasing because the number of people injured in such accidents is increasing as well.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Brad Parker

Brain Injury More Common Than Most Realize

Brad Parker — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 15:41:32 GMT

Each year in the United States, over 1.4 million people suffer a brain injury. This averages out to one brain injury every 23 seconds of every day of the year. 235,000 of those 1.4 million individuals are hospitalized for their injuries and 50,000 of those who suffer brain injuries each year die. Those at greatest risk for brain injury are seniors, adolescents and young adults.

While most people associate brain injury with trauma, in many instances the actual injury to the brain is caused by a lack of oxygen. Head trauma will often cause swelling in the brain and that swelling can often cause decreased blood flow to the brain with consequent oxygen deprivation. When the brain or any other organ of the body is deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time, the brain or other organ will die. Indeed, it is often oxygen deprivation which causes birth injuries, injuries while a person is under anesthesia for surgical proceedures, or injuries suffered during heart attacks. It is a lack of oxygen and the failure of the body to replenish the life giving oxygen supply that causes many injuries and deaths.
Brain injury is not only physically devistating to those who suffer such an injury and to their families, but can be financially destructive as well. Direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity of traumatic brain injury totaled an estimated $56.3 billion in the United States in 1995.http://www.biau.org/what/what.html#hypoxic

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Brad Parker

Brain Injury Results from Negligence

James McConkie — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 15:40:12 GMT

Jim McConkie spoke to a group of lawyers at the law firm Prince Yeates in Salt Lake CIty, Utah today on cerebral palsy (CP) injuries which are a result of medical negligence at the time of birth. He said that each year 20% of children diagnosed with CP developed it as a result of a brain injury at the time of birth which could have been avoided. In fact 8,000 to 10,000 babies are diagnosed with CP each year and CP is the second most common neurolgical impairment in childhood. McConkie explained that often times CP cannot be fully diagnosed until a child is two or three years old and begins to exhibit the physical signs and symptoms of the injury.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by James McConkie

Utah Senator Seeks Aid for Head Trauma Victims

Christina Cole — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 23:36:44 GMT

A Utah Senator is trying to reauthorize a federal law that supports programs for people with traumatic brain injuries, or TBI, a condition which affects 5.3 million Americans. With 40,000 of these people that reside in Utah.

"Those suffering from a traumatic brain injury deserve the best care possible," said U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "That's the goal of this bill -- to help patients get quality care early, so they can recover from this devastating injury."

State legislation establishing a fund for Utahns with brain injuries, meanwhile, stalled in the Legislature last month for the second year in a row.

Hatch introduced his bill -- co-sponsored with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. -- to the Senate on Wednesday. It would make allocations for services to people affected by brain injuries, help states develop treatment capacity and fund projects for injured veterans.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would also be charged with surveying how common brain injuries are in the general population.

Hatch and Kennedy were original sponsors in the TBI legislation in 1996. March has been christened Brain Injury Awareness Month. The TBI numbers are striking.

According to the CDC, there are 1.4 million reported instances of TBIs in the United States per year. Most of these injuries are caused by falls or car accidents. 5.3 million people - approximately 2 percent in the United States - need long term or lifelong help due to brain injury.

Continue Reading Aid for Head Trauma Victims.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Christina Cole